Max Verstappen’s struggles show Sergio Perez did not have a disastrous stint in 2024

Sergio Perez had claimed that he was facing the same issues since the start of 2024 which were endured by Max Verstappen in Monza.

Max Verstappen’s struggles show Sergio Perez did not have a disastrous stint in 2024

Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen (via IMAGO)

Red Bull has had a difficult couple of months with Max Verstappen going winless in the past six races. However, Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez never really clicked since the start of the season. Now, Red Bull’s struggles show that perhaps Perez was not at fault for his poor performance.

Sergio Perez received backlash throughout the first half of 2024 over his struggles. So much so, that Red Bull even came close to replacing the Mexican driver after the summer break. However, Milton Keynes decided to retain Checo. Although, Perez’s sponsors might’ve played a role in this decision.

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Now, two races after the summer break, Red Bull is on the backfoot. The RB20’s balance issues have come to light. With Max Verstappen even claiming that winning the title seemed unrealistic. As such, this could prove that Perez was not having the worst of seasons in the first half of 2024.

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Sergio Perez highlighted Max Verstappen is facing similar issues after the summer break

Sergio Perez claimed that Max Verstappen was finally facing the problems which he has endured since the start of the season. One must note that Verstappen’s father Jos Verstappen insisted that these issues have persisted since the early half of the season, but Red Bull ignored these complaints.

Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen
Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen (via IMAGO)

As such, Max Verstappen was simply managing to outdrive the car for the past few months while Sergio Perez was battling these balance issues. Now, that the Dutch driver has finally come to a point where he can no longer win with just his skills, Red Bull have addressed the issues.

Now, Perez’s camp can claim that the Mexican driver deserves to continue for 2025 and beyond. Verstappen’s dismal Italian GP led to Checo being much closer to the Dutchman than usual. So it seems that Sergio Perez’s 2024 struggles were largely related to the RB20 instead of his own struggles.

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